Moderate alcohol consumption improves risk

A study, published in the European Heart Journal (7th January issue), has shown that people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol and are physically active have a lower risk of death from heart disease and other causes than people who don’t drink at all.

In the study, those who neither drank alcohol nor exercised had a 30–49% higher risk of heart disease than those who either drink, exercise or both. The data come from the Copenhagen City Heart Study which followed 11,914 Danish men and women for approximately 20 years. The researchers conclude that: “Both moderate to high levels of physical activity and a moderate alcohol intake are important for lowering the risk of fatal heart disease and deaths from all causes”.